Don’t Be Without Your Local Food – Stock Up Now!

If your local farmer’s market has not already pulled its tents for the year, it will do so soon. This weekend will be it for many (but not all!), Chicago area farmer’s markets. Of course, we will be updating you soon on markets open in November, road-trip markets and winter markets, but for now we want to just remind you to stock up. The unfortunate truth of eating local around here is that you cannot buy all the local food you need from November through May. Sure, it’s getting better, easier, but unless you want to give in to imported foods*, you need to stock up now.

Here’s your shopping list.

FALL FOODS WITH LIMITED STORAGE

You will find the following items at area markets but consume these within a week or so:

Rocket

Sweet peppers

Lettuces

Kale

Chard

Collard and other hearty greens

Bok choi and related

Cauliflower

Broccoli

Smaller radishes

Spinach

Celery

FOODS FOR STORAGE – SHORT TERM

The following items will last with good handling for about a month:

Pears, especially Asian style pears

Hot peppers

Tomatoes

Grapes

Larger radishes such as black radishes

Cabbage

Brussels sprouts

Sweet potatoes

FOODS FOR STORAGE - MEDIUM TERM

The following items will last through winter with good handling:

Kohlrabi (use the greens within a week)

Turnips (use the greens within a week)

Carrots

Parsnips

Beets

Rutabaga

Celery root

Parsley root

Onions

Winter squash

Sunchokes

Burdock root

FOODS FOR STORAGE - LONG TERM

The following items will last you through early spring or beyond with good handling:

Garlic

Apples–Most fall apples keep well with the exception of McIntosh, which are very poor keepers)

Potatoes–Likewise, most fall potatoes keep well, but especially good keepers include blue potatoes and russet potatoes

*Not that we think you cannot eat any non-local foods. Winter time is citrus time. We also reach out in the off-season for the stuff like bananas, pineapples, prickly pears, and such. We don’t believe one has to only eat local foods!

One Comment

I think it would be good if you included a list of … if you grew it yourself, or if you find it at a market do so … like persimmons or jujubes maybe. Then we could plan ahead to maybe find a way to grow/get/use these as well.